—ROBERTA NAAS, ATimelyPerspective.com 

Bold, race-inspired, and true to form, the new Chopard Grand Prix de Monaco Historique collection pays tribute to the world of vintage Formula 1 racing in a classic way. We all know how intimately involved with auto racing Chopard is. Not only has this brand sponsored and created the Mille Miglia timepieces for years, but its owners also drive (and own) vintage cars in many rallies around the world.

Thus, it comes as no surprise that the brand would continue to develop the car/watch relationship, moving forward this year with an all-new collection. This marks the seventh consecutive year that Chopard is the sponsor and official timekeeper of the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique rally, and so it has developed this line to mark that milestone.

The first model to be unveiled is the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique Chrono, with ergonomic and dynamic 44.5mm case design. With a yellow-infused color code and racer-style strap, the watch looks the part as well as plays it. Design aesthetics include a brake-disc-inspired hour marker ring with arrow-shaped markers and chronograph pushers that recall the surface of a piston. In terms of function, the watch is not only a precision chronograph, but also a COSC-certified chronometer. It is powered by a self-winding movement and retails for $7,640.

Founder and editor-in-chief of ATimelyPerspective.com, Roberta Naas is a veteran award-winning journalist in the watch industry with more than 25 years of experience. She was the first woman watch editor in the US market—breaking in to an “all boys network” with a pioneering spirit that would be her signature to this day. Naas brings responsible, factual—yet always timely and insightful—reporting of the watch industry to the forefront.

During the day, don a water-resistant rubber-strapped watch beautifully adorned with diamonds or sapphires.

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT:
1. AudemarsPiguet’s Ladies Royal Oak Quartz watch ($24,400) is crafted in 18k rose gold and features a white rubber strap and a bezel set with 40 brilliant-cut diamonds. It is water-resistant to 50 meters. 

2. This Hublot Big Bang Tutti Frutti watch ($40,500) features 48 pink sapphires on its 18k rose-gold bezel in an invisible setting, with a bezel lug of pink composite resin and a matching pink rubber alligator strap. 

3.Breitling’s steel Chronomat 41 with diamonds ($15,900) has an Antarctica white dial, a diamond-adorned case, and a white rubber strap. It’s also an automatic COSC-certified chronometer. 

4. From UlysseNardin, the Lady Diver ($11,700), water-resistant to 100 meters, features a wave pattern across its mother-of-pearl dial and a blue rubberized bezel. Diamonds adorn the dial, bezel, and case. 

With swim season upon us, day and night parties abound at the chicest pools. People travel from around the world to attend these fashionable fêtes, decked out in the sexiest designer swimwear by day and the most elegant couture resort wear by night. What better way to complement this poolside finery than with a stylish Swiss watch that doesn’t mind getting wet?

“We’re seeing sales go up sharply for women’s water and diver’s watches,” says AmitDevHanda, luxury timepiece concierge at the Mandarin Oriental. “These timepieces make a statement and offer great versatility. Women are wearing them as much to a business lunch or an elegant dinner as they will for a dip in the pool.”

At night, you’ll dazzle in a watch that’s crafted in 18k gold, set with sparkling diamonds, and suitable for a midnight dip in the pool.

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT:
1. Chopard’s Happy Sport Automatic watch ($41,240), in rose gold with a rose-gold bracelet and silvered dial, has a bezel set with 38 diamonds as well as seven moving diamonds, for a total of 2.31 carats. It is water-resistant to 30 meters. 

2. With a taupe strap and golden brown dial, this Patek Philippe Ladies Nautilus Ref. 7010R-012 watch ($34,000) has a bezel meticulously set with diamond brilliants and is water-resistant to 60 meters.

3. This 34mmOmegaSeamaster Aqua Terra 150M Co-Axial chronometer ($35,800) is crafted in 18k yellow gold and is water-resistant to 500 feet. It has a diamond brilliant bezel and diamond markers on its mother-of-pearl dial, which is designed to recall the wooden decks of luxury sailboats. 

4. The ultrachic quartz-powered Cartier Tank Anglaise watch ($36,200), in 18k pink gold, is set with brilliant-cut diamonds. It features a sapphire crystal and a silvered and lacquered dial and is water-resistant to 100 feet. 

5. From VacheronConstantin, this Overseas Lady watch ($31,700) in 18k rose gold houses a self-winding movement and is water-resistant to 50 meters. The bezel is set with 88 brilliant-cut diamonds, and the taupe strap is made of hand-sewn, saddle-stitched American alligator leather.

Our weekly food and drink news serves up intel on restaurant openings, chef buzz, culinary events, must-try dishes, and more.

660's Bluepoint oysters and bloody Mary shooter. (photo: Brett Huffziger)

660 at The Angler's Rethinks Brunch with Short Rib Eggs Benny, Oysters and Bloodies 

The Angler's brunch hot spot has given its menu a makeover, with updated dishes available Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuck into short rib Benedict, Nutella French toast, and 660's Bluepoint oysters served with Tabasco, lemon, horseradish, and a bloody Mary shooter. Diners can also opt for one-and-a-half-hour bottomless Marys and mimosas. 660 Washington Ave., Miami Beach, 305-534-9600

Katsuya Adds Limited-Time Lunch for Miami Music Week

Swing by Katsuya during Miami Music Week for the restaurant's first-ever lunch menu, available today through Sunday, March 30, from noon to 3 p.m. The menu includes à la carte items, appetizers, and salads like rock shrimp, tuna salsa, and seaweed sunomono, as well as robata dishes and sushi or sashimi combo platters. SLS Hotel, 1701 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, 305-455-2995

Verde Brings in Brunch with Squash Blossom Pizza, Guava Margaritas

Served Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., brunch at Stephen Starr's Verde promises dressed up staples like eggs Benedict, Gruyere or spinach omelets, steak and eggs, and less breakfast-y dishes like warm shrimp salad and squash blossom pizza. Wash it all down with a blood orange mimosa or a guava margarita. Pérez Art Museum Miami, 1103 Biscayne Blvd., Miami Beach, 305-375-8282 

Monthly Wine Dinners Return at Gotham Steak 

Kicking off April 1 at Fontainebleau's Gotham Steak, the Cellar 1954 Wine & Dinner Series is back for a second year. Next Tuesday's dinner (7:30 p.m., $275 per person) will feature a five-course meal with vintner-chosen pours from Napa Valley's Chateau Montelena and La Sirena. Pairings to look forward to include a wild mushroom ravioli matched with 2010 La Sirena Syrah and pan-seared diver scallop with 2010 and 2005 Montelena Estate Cabernet. Reservations required. 4441 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, 877-326-7412

Wasabi in your haircare, kale in your tinted moisturizer—these seven beauty brands have left no miracle ingredient stone unturned.

Caviar, catnip, kale, and copper are among the beauty industry's new miracle ingredients. 

From lab simulated snake venom to rare plants that grow on distant mountains, research and experimentation in the area of cosmetics is boundless. Below, some of the latest ingredients.

Volcanic Ash

Post volcanic eruption powder is used in Joanna Vargas Skincare's Exfoliating Mask ($75) to obtain brighter, tighter skin by re-texturizing and removing impurities from the skin without chemicals. Better yet, Julianne More and Rachel Weisz are both fans of Vargas' products. 

Noni Extract

An exotic fruit native to the South Pacific, Noni is a powerful oxidant, and a key ingredient in Kora Organics Luxurious Rosehip Body Oil ($64). Australian beauty Miranda Kerr is behind the label. 

Copper

Never mind what you saw in the James Bond flick Goldfinger. Metal is now being used to improve skin's appearance, not suffocate it. “Copper contains a high degree of healing minerals, which are perfect to help recover from the winter,’’ says Dorit Baxter, whose spa is using copper in a new facial ($135).    

Wasabi

Who knew that wasabi promoted hair growth? According to Pravana, the Japanese root used in the company’s Color Lock Leave-In Treatment ($19) not only stimulates follicles, it soothes the scalp and helps hair retain color by inhibiting oxidative reaction in DNA.

Real Sturgeon Caviar  

Okay, caviar is not so weird, but Repere, launching now exclusively through the Townhouse Spa, uses the good stuff: 100 percent extract of sturgeon caviar. “The sturgeon fish’s belly is gently massaged for the eggs to release without harming the eco-system,’’ says spa owner Jamie Ahn, who was also one of the first to introduce beautifying collagen masks saturated with snail secretion. “The Repere serum improves skin’s texture and firmness and you can feel the eggs actually burst when you use it,’’ she explains. 

Catnip 

Only in Florida is bug spray considered a beauty arsenal must-have. If you don’t mind having a few extra feline buddies, check out Erbaviva’s Organic Buzz spray ($20). It uses a mix of oils and herbs, including catnip, to keep bugs away.

Kale

Alba Botanica is using the vitamin packed leafy green du jour, along with spinach and Swiss chard, in its “Good and Healthy Range’’ launching this April. Try the Tinted Perfector ($9.99), a light moisturizer that comes in a universally flattering shade and promises a luminous complexion.

Jack Nicklaus sits down for lunch at his Bear’s Club in Jupiter to talk gumbo, golf, and the joys of the Everglades.

Legendary golfer turned-golf course designer Jack Nicklaus at The Bear’s Club.

Jack Nicklaus walks into The Bear’s Club and shakes hands as if he’s no big deal, like he doesn’t own the place. Meanwhile, he was named Individual Male Athlete of the Century by Sports Illustrated, won a record 18 professional major-championship titles (six Masters, five PGA Championships, four US Opens, three British Opens), and is the benchmark by which all other golfers are measured. And he does own the place. Post-pro golf, he is startlingly busy—“I would go crazy if I wasn’t,” he says. He created Nicklaus Design, a firm that has crafted 400 golf courses all over the globe, and Nicklaus developed this one, in Jupiter. He has five kids, 22 grandkids, and still plays a lot (the last four days in a row). Nicklaus also devotes time to being a board member of the Everglades Foundation, which seeks to protect the remarkable ecosystem and restore its water flow to a natural state.

You grew up in Ohio but moved to Florida. Was it for the obvious reasons?
Have you played golf in Ohio during the wintertime? I needed to do that when I first turned pro, so I really moved down here in the winter before I played my first tournament.

How did you grow to care about the Everglades?
A fellow taught me the backwaters of Florida Bay [the southern fringe of the Everglades]. It’s tough to get around—I spent a couple nights out there that I couldn’t get back in. I’ve caught a ton of fish out there, taken a lot of my friends out. You get snook, red fish. I landed my first tarpon out there—125 pounds.

The clubhouse provides a welcoming atmosphere for members and guests.

What are the hurdles to Everglades restoration?
A lot of it is the sugar industry fertilizer issue [which pollutes Lake Okeechobee], and the blockage of water flowing south from Lake Okeechobee [which raises salinity levels]. But it’s a valuable resource. Seven million Florida residents, their water comes from the Everglades. And there’s value in all the people who come down here and visit.

I understand golf buttresses some of your other philanthropic work.
We came up with color-coded Jack Nicklaus balls—white, blue, and black—matched to your swing speed and ability. Some are engineered for distance and others for feel on the green. A percentage of every ball sold goes to the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation, which is focused in South Florida. We have a relationship with Miami Children’s Hospital.

Nicklaus seated on The Bear’s Club’s back porch, with a view of the course he designed.

So you designed a Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course at Baha Mar in the Bahamas?
Yes, it’s just about finished. It’s going to be a really nice golf course. It’ll have a few challenging holes, it’s got great views of the ocean, the back nine is very hilly. We’ve got one sort of island green out in the lake.

Do you ever design a hole and think it’s too difficult?
[Laughs] Many of them, and I’ve been right.

What is your favorite course to play?
Let’s forget my courses. If I had one round to play, I’d probably go to Pebble Beach. I think of the ocean, the environment, the history I have—I won the amateur there, I won several Crosbys, AT&Ts, and the US Open. I love Pebble Beach. For a place to go [visit], I’d either go to Augusta or St. Andrews.

The low-carb seafood gumbo on the menu was Nicklaus’s idea.

You own The Bear’s Club, where we’re eating. Any examples of your input on the menu?
Ninety percent of the people who come here eat our seafood gumbo. I basically try to eat close to the Atkins diet, a low-carb diet, so I said to Brian [Sode, the chef], “How can we take this gumbo and make it low-carb?” He said, “We can take the rice out of it, we can lessen the thickening, we can take the tomato paste out and just use tomatoes.” We switched over to Boar’s Head kielbasa, which has one gram of carbs. By the time we finished, we ended up with one carb and 100 calories per cup versus about 250 calories and about 50 or 60 carbs.

Does eating close to Atkins affect your energy level?
My energy level is much better. I’m over 20 pounds lighter, to start with, and better on the tennis court.

A slice of cheesecake based on his wife Barbara’s recipe.

Are there any other Nicklaus creations on the menu?
My wife is a fantastic cook, and she has Barbara’s cheesecakes on here, Barbara’s Key lime pie, and sticky toffee pudding. The Buckeyes are my wife’s recipe. It looks like a buckeye nut, but basically it’s a peanut butter cup.

Golf is a very mental game. What is the mental quality required to be a fantastic golfer?
I think you have to understand yourself, your strong suits and weak suits, and what you can do within them. You have to have the mental discipline to be able to restrain yourself from leaving that. I’ve always thought that was pretty easy, and that’s why I’ve never really worried about it. And you know, you’ll get beat sometimes. And if you do, you just shake their hand, put a smile on your face, and say, “Well done, I’ll get you next week.” That’s what you do.

Two wheels are better than four. A little biking goes a long way in reducing your carbon footprint. (image via) 

Unlike the concrete jungles of other big metropolitan cities like New York or Chicago, Miami is surrounded by palm trees, vegetation, parks, and the ocean. Those of us lucky enough to live in this tropical paradise should be recycling the natural resources at hand. By incorporating the below tips into everyday routines, you’ll make a significant impact in maintaining our lush environment. 

1. Buy local produce from your neighborhood farmers' market. Click here to find one nearby.  

2. Ride a bike whenever you can. Deco Bike’s bike share system is available in Miami Beach, Surfside, or Bay Harbor Island.

3. Lunch boxes aren’t just for kids. Skip the brown or plastic bag and find a trendy reusable one—like this. 

4. Wash your car on the lawn so the grass can absorb the excess water.

5. For those monsoon summer months, utilize a rain barrel to reuse rain water on your lawn. 

6. Invest in a hybrid or electric car—the latest options span far beyond a Prius... 

7. Working in Downtown or Brickell? Minimize commute time and emissions by taking the MetroRail.

8. Unplug all chargers and electronics—even hair dryers and curling irons—when they're not being used. 

9. Wash your laundry in cold water whenever possible.

10. Turn off water when brushing teeth or shaving.

11. Use energy-efficient CFL bulbs in lamps.

Kick off spring by filling your social calendar with these six charitable causes for celebration.

Don't miss the Miracle Makers Fashion Show & Luncheon for Big Brothers Big Sisters on April 24. 

Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County
Cause: Foster a love and appreciation for the arts via education and community outreach programs by enlightening and entertaining through cultural experiences.
Honorary event chair: Adrienne Arsht
Event: Eighth annual Adrienne Arsht Center annual gala, Saturday, April 5, at 6:30 pm, John S. and James L. Knight Concert Hall

American Cancer Society
Cause: Save lives, diminish suffering, and prevent and eventually eliminate cancer through research, education, advocacy, and service.
Event Chairs: Felipe and Lourdes Valls
Event: Le Bal de Bijoux Gala, Saturday, April 5, at 6:30 pm, JW Marriott Marquis

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Cause: Fight against childhood cancer and other deadly diseases through research and treatment at no cost to the families affected.
Event Chair: Michael Epstein
Event: Seventh annual South Beach Triathlon, Sunday, April 6, at 4:30 am, Lummus Park

Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center
Cause: Promote environmental education among adults and children in addition to encouraging conservation of local, irreplaceable natural resources.
Event Chairs: Brett Graff and Robert Einhorn
Event: Wild & Scenic Affair—A Full-Moon Beach Party!, Saturday, April 12, at 7:30 pm, Virginia Key Beach Park

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Miami
Cause: Serve children from single-parent homes by pairing them with caring adult volunteers.
Event chairs:Aislynn McDonald, Irene Korge, Bronwyn Miller, and Migna Sanchez-Llorens
Event: Miracle Makers Fashion Show & Luncheon, Thursday, April 24, at 11 am, The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne

Kristi House
Cause: Heal and stop the epidemic of child sexual abuse in Miami-Dade County.
Event Chair: Lourdes Leon-Vega
Event: Eighth annual Breaking the Silence Luncheon, Friday, April 25, at 12 pm (reception at 11:15 am), Jungle Island

—ROBERTA NAAS, ATimelyPerspective.com 

Sometimes watches we see here at BaselWorld make us scratch our heads and wonder. The new Jacob & Co. Astronomia Tourbillon is one of those watches. Let’s be clear: this is not an astronomical watch. Instead, it is one extremely unusual and complex tourbillon that also features a rendition of the Earth and the moon on the dial for a sense of astronomical delight. After all, who doesn’t gaze at the moon from time to time and drift away in thought?

So, now that the question of astronomy is put to rest, this sublimely beautiful watch is, nonetheless, quite complex. For the creation of the highly complex movement and technically advanced rotating system, Jacob & Co. again partnered with Studio 7H38—the company that last year helped to develop the SF24 dual-time zone watch. The 235-part movement features a three-axis tourbillon and offers an orbital display of hours, minutes, Earth, and the moon (again, the Earth and moon are an ethereal experience rather than a realistic orbital rendition).

Essentially, the Astronomia Tourbillon features a four-armed carrier that rotates once around the dial every 20 minutes. One arm holds the one-minute tourbillon, which, thanks to its three axes, not only rotates once every 60 seconds on its own axis and once every 20 minutes around the dial, but also rotates around the axis of the arm carrying it once every five minutes. Opposite the tourbillon cage with over-coil balance spring, on another arm, is the hour and minute dial with open-worked center. Because the dial also rotates with the central axis, it is mounted on a differential platform so that as the central carrier turns, and the dial turns, it also pivots to ensure that the 12:00 marker is always at the top of the hour/minutes dial for easy reading of time.

The two other arms, each rotating on their axes once every 60 seconds, hold the Earth (a globe of white gold and blue Grand Feu enamel), and the moon (a round briolette-cut diamond with 56 facets). The back dial backdrop is blue aventurine. The 47mm case is made of a high-tech polycarbonate composite strengthened with diamond dust. Just nine pieces will ever be made.

Founder and editor-in-chief of ATimelyPerspective.com, Roberta Naas is a veteran award-winning journalist in the watch industry with more than 25 years of experience. She was the first woman watch editor in the US market—breaking in to an “all boys network” with a pioneering spirit that would be her signature to this day. Naas brings responsible, factual—yet always timely and insightful—reporting of the watch industry to the forefront.

The Pérez Art Museum Miami has life imitating art with gallery-worthy pieces for spring.

Black and red knit dress, Alexander McQueen ($3,725). Bal Harbour Shops, 9700 Collins Ave., 305-866-2839. Glamazon earrings ($1,295) and reef bangle ($995), Ippolita. Bloomingdale’s, Aventura Mall, 19555 Biscayne Blvd., 305-792-1000. Toboggan Specchio sandals, Christian Louboutin ($745). 155 NE 40th St., Miami, 305-576-6820

White mesh feather dress, Calvin Klein Collection (price on request). To order, call 212-292-9000. Cocktail ring, Atelier Swarovski ($255). Gold Miki ring, Aurélie Bidermann ($220). The Webster Miami, 1220 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, 305-674-7899. Tangerine satchel, Halston Heritage ($395). Saks Fifth Avenue, Bal Harbour Shops, 9700 Collins Ave., 305-865-1100

ON HER: Chartreuse iridescent cellophane cloqué gown, Oscar de la Renta ($5,990). Bal Harbour Shops, 9700 Collins Ave., 305-868-7986. Wind Chime earrings, Robert Lee Morris ($350). Neiman Marcus, Bal Harbour Shops, 305-865-6161. Youpi satin open-toe floral pumps, Christian Louboutin ($625). 155 NE 40th St., Miami, 305-576-6820. ON HIM: Tan quilted jacket ($3,490) and navy wool trousers ($890), Salvatore Ferragamo. Bal Harbour Shops, 9700 Collins Ave., 305-866-8166. Sloane loafers, Jimmy Choo ($995). Village of Merrick Park, 360 San Lorenzo Ave., Coral Gables, 305-443-6124

ON HER: Natte silk dress, Prada ($4,200). 3930 NE Second Ave., Miami, 305-438-2280. Sterling silver midnight mélange bangles with diamonds ($2,700 each) and sterling silver midnight mélange bangle with diamonds ($2,400), David Yurman. Nordstrom, Aventura Mall, 19507 Biscayne Blvd., 305-356-6900. Pumps, Christian Louboutin ($625). 155 NE 40th St., Miami, 305-576-6820. ON HIM: Shirt ($345), trousers ($475), and tie ($205), Ermenegildo Zegna. Bal Harbour Shops, 9700 Collins Ave., 305-865-8652. Black loafers, Louis Vuitton ($965). 170 NE 40th St., Miami, 305-573-1366

Silk satin organza top ($1,300) and silk satin organza skirt ($2,350), Christian Dior. Saks Fifth Avenue, Bal Harbour Shops, 9700 Collins Ave., 305-865-1100. 18k white-gold Precious Temptations earrings, Chopard (price on request). Bal Harbour Shops, 305-868-8626. Fuchsia pumps, René Caovilla ($560). Neiman Marcus, Village of Merrick Park, 390 San Lorenzo Ave., Coral Gables, 786-999-1000

Printed muslin dress, Chanel ($12,500). Bal Harbour Shops, 9700 Collins Ave., 305-868-0550. 18k yellow-gold Horsebit earrings ($2,990), 18k yellow-gold Bamboo Spring bracelet ($1,698), and 18k yellow-gold Bamboo Spring bracelet ($3,450), Gucci. Bal Harbour Shops, 305-868-6504. Leonor Fini shoes, Christian Louboutin ($895). 155 NE 40th St., Miami, 305-576-6820

FROM TOP:
1. From Dior Timepieces, this Dior VIII Grand Bal Resille watch ($26,900) is inspired by the accents of the design house’s haute couture dresses. Offered in a limited edition of just 88 pieces, the 33mm automatic timepiece is crafted in white ceramic with pink sapphires on the bezel and the patented Inverse rotor. 

2. The 18k white-gold Charms Extraordinaire Lotus watch by Van Cleef & Arpels ($73,000) is a superb blend of arts—its case is set with diamonds and Paraíba tourmalines, while a meticulously hand-painted champleve enamel flower dial also has a gemstone setting. 

3. Cartier’s 18k pink-gold Tank Anglaise watch ($36,200) recalls the brand’s first Tank watches but with updated styling. Set with brilliant-cut diamonds and featuring a silvered, lacquered dial, the timepiece houses the quartz-caliber Cartier 057. 

France has long been a mecca for creative expressions in art, music, literature, design—and, naturellement, fashion. Many of the most iconic brands have stemmed from this land of unbridled luxury, among them Dior, Hermès, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Van Cleef & Arpels. Over the years each of these great French houses have forayed into watchmaking—always remaining firmly entrenched in their heritage to turn out unusual works of art and time.

In 2011 Dior released the first watch from its now much-coveted Dior VIII Grand Bal collection, clearly inspired by the details of fine couture. With the patented Inverse caliber developed by Les Ateliers Horlogers Dior in Switzerland, Dior Timepieces is able to display the mechanical watch rotor on the dial and bedeck it in jewels and lavish designs that recall the sway of a ball gown, all in an effort to emulate the hypnotic spell of Dior’s sartorial creations.

Chanel’s ceramic timepieces deftly recall the bold black and white statements for which the house is known. The brand’s premier watch line is inspired by Place Vendôme and by the Chanel No. 5 bottle stopper. Chanel also creates haute-horological specialty pieces with enamel dials inspired by the Chinese screens from Coco’s legendary home on the Rue Cambon, and offers gemstone, pearl, and gold-chain accents on watches to remain true to its roots.

FROM TOP:
1. Hermès’ elegant Heure H watch ($23,900) is inspired by the brand’s beloved H logo. The watch is crafted in 18k rose gold with an alligator strap. 

2. From Louis Vuitton, this steel and diamond Tambour Monogram watch ($7,950) features a dial with a graduated sunray pattern on the outer portion. The Louis Vuitton logo discreetly forms a circle that engulfs the center of the dial. 

3. This 38mm automatic Swiss-made J12 Moonphase watch from Chanel ($23,450) is crafted in top-quality ceramic with a diamondset bezel. The dial features a stunning moonphase indication at 6:00, rimmed with diamond brilliants.

Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels have long been ranked among the world’s finest jewelry brands, of course, so translating their artistry to watches was a natural step. Cartier began creating watches at the turn of the 20th century—the first was built by Louis Cartier for his friend Alberto Santos-Dumont, who used to fly his dirigibles around the Eiffel Tower. Cartier’s watchmaking legacy grew to include many memorable designs, including the Tank watch for men and women, which has been coveted by society types for generations.

Van Cleef & Arpels debuted its first watches more than a century ago to sate the demands of its gratin clientele. Today, the house offers diamond, gemstone, enamel, and special haute-horology watches that are inspired by French tradition. Its most memorable timepieces include Parisian scenes like those found in the Poetic Complications series, as well as amazing renderings of flora and fauna such as the expertly rendered enamel flowers on the Charms Extraordinaire Lotus watch.

Louis Vuitton and Hermès started their legendary ascents by crafting fine leather goods—Vuitton was a maker of the world’s most-coveted trunks, while Hermès was firmly entrenched in saddlery. Today, Louis Vuitton’s timepiece collections feature its LV motif on the straps and the dials, nodding to its pedigree as a luggage maker. Hermès also stays true to its history by utilizing detailed saddle stitching on its sumptuous leather straps. “The top French brands are known for their quality and heritage, for their designs and their unusual thought processes,” says Robert Peterman, vice president of fine timepieces for Hermès. “Our French roots require us to keep a close handle on quality and craftsmanship, and Swiss watchmaking helps us do that.”

Local brewers and distillers are churning out Miami-made rum, vodka, and beer like never before. Here's where to get a taste. 

Newcomer M.I.A. Brewing Company hopes to open its doors in late spring. (image via) 

Leave it to Miami to be the last one to the party. While other states are peppered with longstanding craft distilleries and breweries, Miami has just started seeing them pop up around the city within the past year.

The first spirits distillery to open was Miami Club Rum in late 2012. Its namesake product is a white, barrel-aged rum made on premises in Wynwood. Tours and tastings are available by appointment, otherwise try Miami Club Rum at neighboring Wynwood Kitchen & Bar, Gramps, Wood Tavern, Joey’s, or other restaurants like Zuma, Sushi Samba Dromo, and Sugarcane Raw Bar & Grill. 

For whiskey drinkers, Alchemist Distilleries has been distilling the brown spirit in Doral since September. Enjoy their wheat or rye whiskey at local business-friendly places like The Abbey Brewing Company and Yardbird Southern Table & Bar.

Opened last year, the Wynwood Brewing Company is Miami’s first brewery, also located in Wynwood with neighbor distiller Miami Club Rum. They offer their own porter, blonde ale, IPA, and seasonal brews that can be enjoyed in the brewery’s tap room. But you can also grab a WBC pint at 20 plus locations around Miami, including Abraxas Lounge, Café Mistral, Gramps, LoKal, The Abbey Brewing Company, Wood Tavern, The Local Craft Food & Drink, The Democratic Republic of Beer, and The Filling Station. 

What's next on the drink local horizon? Gravity Brew Lab and M.I.A.  Brewing  Co. both expect to be ready to open and join the local brewery scene as well. Until then, hop on the Brew Busfor a tour of three breweries within the Miami Dade and Broward counties: Funky Buddha Brewery in Boca Raton, Wynwood Brewing Company, and MIA Brewing Co in the midst of construction at its soon-to-open Doral location.

With tower groundbreakings and megamansion listings, the real estate market in South Florida continues to flourish.

The historic 1925 mansion at 42 Star Island Drive faces demolition.

Plastic surgeon and self-proclaimed “boob god” Lenny Hochstein and his wife and The Real Housewives of Miami star, Lisa, have won the right to demolish a historic house on Star Island. So ends a year-long battle with historic preservationists who fought to save the house, one of the most visible in Miami Beach. The large white stucco Mediterranean Revival mansion at 42 Star Island Drive was designed and built in 1925 by Florida’s first registered architect, Walter DeGarmo, who designed many of South Florida’s most significant early buildings. The last barrier to demolition, a lawsuit by the Miami Design Preservation League, was dropped when the city denied the house a historic designation.

Island in the Sun

When it hit the market in February, the 26-acre Pumpkin Key, a mostly undeveloped private island within the confines of Key Largo’s exclusive Ocean Reef Club, was the most expensive new real estate listing in the United States at a grand total of $110 million. The island comes with a 5,000-square-foot main house, a couple of cottages, a small marina “capable of handling a superyacht,” according to the listing, and tennis courts that can be used as a helipad. Just don’t break your brand-new chopper’s window. Pumpkin Key, Key Largo, 305-45-8199; russellpostsir.com

Fully Furnished Sale

Villa Artefacto on North Bay Road.

What happens when you pair up a superstar designer and a builder to design and completely furnish a home? A $25 million offer, that’s what. Barry Brodsky and Artefacto’s Paulo Bacchi collaborated on a spectacular waterfront residence at 2068 North Bay Road in Miami Beach, nicknamed “Villa Artefacto.” Just completed and now under contract, the 12,000-square-foot, twostory home on 100 feet of waterfront incorporated Bacchi’s Brazilian designs in order to give buyers “a home that totally reflects the way they envision themselves living,” says broker Nelson Gonzalez of EWM Realty. “They want great design, the finest materials, and impeccable craftsmanship,” Gonzalez says. Brodsky’s company, Brodson Construction, co-developed the property with Sergio Rok. 2068 N. Bay Road, Miami Beach. Listing agent Nelson Gonzalez, 305-674-4040

The Crazy Building Boom

Construction is underway for The Bond at Brickell.

Here are some sure signs of our crazy real estate times: In the span of just one week this January, three major condo towers—The Bond at Brickell (1080 Brickell Ave., Miami, 305-890-2026), SLS Hotel & Residences (1300 S. Miami Ave., Miami, 305-533-1350), and The Crimson (601 NE 27th St., Miami, 305-377-3337)—all had groundbreaking ceremonies on a single day (a Wednesday), and eight new towers in Miami’s urban core received height approval by the Federal Aviation Administration. The onslaught continued when three additional FAA approvals followed within the next week.

With the near completion of his much-hyped Edition, Ian Schrager’s return to the Miami scene brings with it luxury, relaxation, and most important, a good place for him to stay.

Ian Schrager in his office. “These days, the range of choices is particularly exciting” in Miami, says Schrager, who pioneered New York’s iconic Studio 54.

Ian Schrager has had the opportunity “to do and try everything that I could imagine,” from founding New York’s iconic Studio 54 nightclub to inventing the concept of the boutique hotel.

Nowadays, his favorite pastimes might surprise those who equate his name with a hard-partying lifestyle. Forget the Studio 54 days, when everyone from Andy Warhol to Mick Jagger (and even Vladimir Horowitz) made Schrager’s first foray into the entertainment industry a byword for sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll.

These days, the one-time playboy is taking a new approach to both work and leisure. His favorite activity? Taking his 3-year-old son Louis hunting for men-of-war washed up on the beaches of Miami. “Hey, it’s something I never did before,” Schrager says with a shrug. “And it’s wonderful.”

That doesn’t mean the 67-year-old hotelier is giving up his day job anytime soon. On the contrary, he’s scrutinizing every detail of his latest venture, the Miami Beach Edition, a combination of luxury hotel and luxury condo residences aimed at what he calls a new generation of “global citizens.” These people have a lot of wealth on hand, and they increasingly appear happy to pay the kind of price for a Miami pied-à-terre that they would need to fork out to own similar properties in cities like New York, London, or Hong Kong.

A year ago, for instance, an American buyer ponied up $34 million for two penthouse units at Edition. As of late last year, the average sale price for the not-yet-completed units was the highest on record for Miami, at $2,640 per square foot, with property amenities including a year-round ice-skating rink, bowling alley, nightclub, multiple bars, two pools, a Jean-Georges restaurant, spa, and gym, for starters.

“Hotels should lift your spirits,” Schrager says, ”not just provide a bed for the night.”

This will be the first venture for Schrager in Miami since launching the Delano 17 years ago, but while he may have been absent from active involvement in the city’s real estate scene for years, he says he’s never lost his long-standing ties to Miami.

“I started coming here with my parents in the ’50s, so I’ve seen the full transformation, watching development move northward,” he recalls. “We used to stay on Ocean Drive, then Flamingo Park.” When he was a teenager, his parents moved permanently to the area, and his younger brother graduated from Miami Beach High School. “It’s always been a place that I visit with family, where I vacation, where I’ve thought about buying an apartment and living at least part of the time.”

What’s the allure? That’s easy, Schrager says, laughing. Miami is the ultimate city. If you wake up one morning feeling lazy, you can indulge that instinct. “You can lie in the sun and the shade, reading or sleeping, with zero molecular movement,” with greater pleasure than you can anywhere else in the country, he argues. At the other extreme, there’s the city’s vibrant nightlife scene. “You always have choices, and these days, the range of choices available is particularly exciting.”

That hasn’t always been the case, Schrager says. Back in the 1960s, he watched as nightlife and excitement bypassed Miami and headed for the Caribbean islands instead. “And yes, if Cuba reopens to American business and tourists, Miami could see another hiccup,” he acknowledges. “This is a city with boom/bust extremes programmed into its DNA, and it’s been that way since the ’20s.” That doesn’t worry Schrager much. For the time being—in spite of the prophets of doom fretting about the soaring property prices and speculating that a bubble is taking shape—Schrager remains convinced that the city’s fundamentals are sound. “It’s more than just people from South America or Europe,” he says of the city’s visitors. “People are coming from all over—even from Palm Beach—to experience what Miami can offer. The appeal is going up very high on the Richter scale. It’s a city that’s easy to reach and has a lot to offer.”

The penthouse at the new Miami Beach Edition.

The only thing missing, at least in Schrager’s view, from today’s Miami is the perfect hotel. “I don’t have a place I love and feel comfortable staying in,” he says. “So I’m building it.” And Schrager is quite open that Edition won’t be his final venture in Miami, either. “I’m looking for properties now.”

While Schrager defines himself as a builder, he is quite prepared to argue that what he does—conceptualizing and overseeing the construction of hotels and other real estate projects—hasn’t taken him very far from his Studio 54 days when he and his late partner, Steve Rubell, shifted walls around to create a new vibe and atmosphere every night. “I’m still in the entertainment business,” Schrager says. “There’s a lot of similarity between hotels and nightclubs; both should lift your spirits by creating an exciting atmosphere, not just provide a bed for the night.”

At Edition, he has sought to create a series of dynamic public spaces including, importantly, the outdoors. “I was inspired by Cuba’s Tropicana in its legendary days,” says Schrager. Creating an electric vibe in once-dead indoor spaces like hotel lobbies and restaurants has long been a Schrager trademark, but he himself is the first to argue that the trend has evolved since he pioneered it at places like New York’s Royalton. “The visual vocabulary has become more sophisticated and refined,” he says. “Dynamic doesn’t mean that everybody is yelling.”

Schrager’shighwire act—staying ahead of the crowd and delivering what the elite want before they know they want it—is a success, he says, because of the philosophy to which he has adhered over the decades. “If you’re a one-trick pony, you’re not going to have a long career. You have to keep being entertaining and always keep thinking of new ways to deliver that. After all, I’m still in the business of generating hits.”

Philippe Cousteau, grandson of icon Jacques Cousteau, takes up the call of saving our seas with school programs based right here in Miami.

Philippe Cousteau diving with great white sharks off the coast of Isla Guadalupe, Mexico.

Why is Florida on your mind?
Florida uses more water per capita than any other state in the country. It’s hot. People like to water their lawns. We have all these invasive species that come in, big green lawns…. It’s the insanity of humanity—we see something we really like, we go there, and then we change it. But that is the case everywhere, all over the world. Florida is a microcosm for many of the challenges that we face.

Do you ever dive down here?
I’ve been diving off Jupiter, Fort Pierce, all through the Keys. I’ve done two different documentaries on the lionfish epidemic, one for the BBC and one for CNN.

How can a fish be a problem?
Worst-case scenario, lionfish finish off what was already a very degraded system. They are, of course, an invasive species that belongs in the Indian Ocean, where they have predators. They don’t have predators in the Caribbean. Lionfish are voracious eaters; they can eat something like a third of their body weight in one go. And they are very fertile. Nothing [here has] evolved to eat them. That’s a recipe for serious disaster. And candidly, I’ve talked to scientists and policy people, and they’re like, “We think this could be another nail in the coffin of the Caribbean.”

Cousteau on location in Iceland filming an episode of CNN International’s ecodocumentaryGoing Green.

What else should Miamians be aware of?
The pollution problems from Lake Okeechobee are making a big impact. We’ve done a lot of work with the folks doing the dolphin research up in the Indian River Lagoon, and all the toxins that are in these dolphins, the pollutants are floating around in the water that our kids are swimming in and playing in. These dolphins are so loaded with chemicals that their firstborns die oftentimes, which is a big warning for humans. The mother dumps a lot of chemicals and the heavy metal in her body into the fetus of a firstborn. The dolphins are so polluted that their firstborn baby doesn’t live past a year.

Are those toxins agriculturally based?
A lot of them are agriculturally based, but a lot of them are just storm-water runoff. They’re finding PCBs, brake fluid. You know it’s a bigger cautionary tale, but certainly the algae [related to agriculture near Lake Okeechobee] is a problem.

Tell us about your work with children.
Everything I do is designed to help people understand the power they have to change the world. That’s what EarthEcho is all about. We’re about helping young people connect and understand that what they’ve learned in the classroom—specifically related to STEM: science, technology, engineering, mathematics—is fundamentally about asking questions. It’s about adventure and excitement and exploring the world around them. We provide the resources to make learning exciting and relevant.

Examining oyster spat for one of the organization’s EarthEcho Expedition educational videos.

Why do schools need help?
In the United States, we have a very serious problem with our education system. We were just ranked 38th in the world in terms of science and math proficiency. That’s pretty bad. Whoever you are, whether you really care about the environment or you care about education—Republican, Democrat—those are problems that threaten our economy, threaten our security, our health, social justice. It’s a fundamental threat in this country. And you should care about it. Education needs to be relevant, it needs to be exciting, so we film documentaries designed specifically to align the standards, to go into the classrooms so teachers can use them to teach these fundamental concepts as opposed to teaching them out of a seven-year-old textbook.

How are you working with Miami schools specifically?
One of the most impactful experiences I had in education was visiting a school here in Miami.... There was a bunch of students in a pretty rough part of town. I asked them, “How many of you have been to the beach?” Nobody raised his or her hand. Nobody. And they’re a mile from the beach. I’m also friends with and a big fan of Alberto Carvalho, who’s the superintendent [of schools] here in Miami-Dade. He’s an awesome guy, and we want to start looking at how we can develop content that is culturally relevant and sensitive to and speaks to Hispanic communities. So Miami-Dade is our pilot community, our test bed. I understand you were out getting your hands dirty with a local school district before this interview.

I went to a school that is building these miniature pineland habitats in a cypress pond. We were planting a pine tree and an endangered flowering plant that is here in Florida. Some of them are doing restoration around Everglades issues. We were at a Title 1 school, so these kids are not affluent, and they are doing amazing work. One of the teachers really wants to take the kids down and do some coral reef restoration in the Key Largo and the Keys area—pretty remarkable!

Cousteau takes a hands-on approach to teaching kids about the environment and the importance of conservation.

How old are these kids?
This is middle school, so these are sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade kids. It’s a great age. The kids are so excited about it. And it makes sense—I mean, who wants to sit at a desk all day long when you can go outside and get dirty?

What is it like working in an underserved community and talking about science?
A notorious gang school was one of my best audiences because they don’t get to see this stuff. Over the course of 50 minutes, I saw a huge transformation. I started playing videos of diving with great white sharks and of being in the jungle and things like that. And the kids started leaning forward. They were like, “Hey, man, tell me about the great whites!” The energy changed in the whole room, and they ended up being one of the most dynamic groups, laughing and asking questions. It was a great audience; it was one of the best experiences I’ve had. For more information and to donate, visit earthecho.org

A riot of fruits, jams, and quirky Florida nostalgia make Homestead's Robert Is Here an unusual staple, and that’s just the way we like it.

A cornucopia of tropical fruits at Robert Is Here.

Once you pass Krome Avenue on your way out of Miami, things get a lot less chromed, unless you count the engine block of a vintage tractor. But the rural land about 45 minutes southwest of downtown is the best place to score garden-fresh fruits and vegetables, and when you finally get to Robert Is Here in Homestead, you’ll be glad you made the drive.

Around since 1959, the phenomenon known as Robert Is Here began when 6-year-old Robert Moehling’s parents stationed him on the corner of SW 344th Street (the same corner where the business stands today) with 400 bushels of cucumbers. First, Moehling got a sign that, like the name of this iconic fruit stand, simply announced his presence. And then people came, again and again, any time they were in need of produce, exotic fruits, live entertainment, or some quality tortoise time at the petting zoo that sprang up out back.

The welcome sign at Robert Is Here.

Robert is definitely still here—even though the stand’s been on the Today Show, the subject of two PBS documentaries, two New York Times articles, and has been the destination for 54 years’ worth of mango-milkshake-craving visitors. He fills me in on all of this history while we’re standing out back, behind the stand itself, near the macaw cage and a jackfruit tree, as a swarm of worker bees buzz the air and an even more frantic swarm of teenagers unload bananas, wash mangos and jujubes, tame the anaconda-length queue, and, most frustratingly, says Moehling, attempt to tally up customers’ purchases by hand, using a ballpoint pen. “I make them add,” he says, uncapping a grin that reveals his views on the virtues of low-tech versus high.

This South Florida landmark has all of the same local flavor as any other fruit stand, yet a glance at the produce signs sends you off to some pantropical jungle outpost: Homegrown Asian guavas, sapodilla, black sapote, and jackfruit ripen next to their commoner cousins, bananas, Florida avocados, and bundles of collard greens stacked like fresh tobacco leaves.

Robert Moehling has been working his namesake farm stand since 1959.

But Robert Is Here is much more than just a fruit stand. Ancient vehicles surround the place, some busted down, others, like a cherry-red ’55 Ford F-150 out front, in showroom condition. And then there’s the panoply of canned and jarred goodness—orange blossom honey, vidaliaonion-jalapeño salsa, pickled dilly beans—and the outlandishly good (and exotic) milkshakes and smoothies.

Moehling’s favorite milkshake flavor is canistel-strawberry. His favorite fruit is the “magnificent” guanabana, also called soursop, which has a flavor that at first floats on the tongue like cotton candy but has the citrusy notes of pineapple. (Soursop also fights cancer—so well, in fact, that big pharmaceutical companies have spent millions to synthesize it, and failed.) And although you can’t go wrong with any flavor of milkshake here, everyone has his or her own version of right. Miami artist Christy Gast lists her discoveries: “Sapote, canistel, tiny bananas, so many varieties of avocados, loquat, carambola, dragonfruit, sugar apple... so many new flavors.” But when push comes to shove, she goes for a Florida classic—Key lime.

Visitors browse the variety of produce on offer.

Once people have their shakes, they can take them and sit at one of the tables out front. Or they can sip them out back—as long as they’re aware that the petting zoo smells like, well, a petting zoo, thanks to the emus, goats, geese, roosters, burro, and the watermelon-eating tortoises that call it home.

Robert Is Here has always been busy, but people really started rolling in around 2008. “It’s a good thing I have my family,” Moehling says, turning around to silently count all of his offspring who work in the building. With luck, Robert Is Here will be here for a while. 19200 SW 344th St., Homestead, 305-246-1592

Stephen Starr’s new Verde restaurant at PAMM frames the breathtaking setting of Miami with perfect brushstrokes, a masterpiece of a culinary experience.

Executive Chef NicolayAdinaguev plating lunch.

A filet of snapper served with cucumber yogurt, whipped avocado, and pickled tomatoes may pale in comparison to a Wifredo Lam painting, no matter how crispy the fish’s skin. And an Ai Weiwei installation—say, a towering arrangement of bicycles symbolizing the breakneck pace of industrialization in modern China—might trump a crunchy pizza topped with locally sourced squash blossoms, goat cheese, tomato sugo, and zucchini rounds

It all depends on what you’re hungry for.

That’s one of the many challenges facing museum restaurants. There’s also the atypical schedule, tied to the organization’s hours of operation, and the imperative to satisfy the tastes of a diverse clientele, as museums generally strive to draw visitors from all walks of life.

Verde’s terrace provides a view of shimmering Biscayne Bay and PAMM’s hanging gardens.

Verde, the restaurant inside the new Pérez Art Museum Miami (better known as PAMM), handles these challenges with a deft touch, offering diners nothing but crowd pleasers. There’s the satisfyingly savory snapper (sourced locally), the selection of thin-crust pizzas (gourmet enough for an adult, familiar enough for a kid), the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” bacon cheeseburger, the palate-invigorating hamachi sashimi, and, to lure the execs from downtown’s office towers, a roasted New York strip steak served with fries and a pat of chimichurri butter on the side.

The menu may sound faintly generic, especially when you consider the exciting culinary scene across Miami these days. But Verde’s food in fact makes a lot of sense for a restaurant whose patrons include art world socialites, grade-school field trippers, and everyone in between.

“Our food is approachable [and] Miami-inspired while still maintaining the creativity that you would expect being surrounded by so much artistic inspiration,” says restaurateur Stephen Starr.

Diners enjoying a casual meal on a recent visit.

Starr’s eponymous company runs scores of restaurants in the Northeast, including Granite Hill at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. From experience, he knew Verde had to meet a lot of needs.

“On one hand, Verde is a gathering place for those who will or have enjoyed the museum,” he says. “In the latter [case], it’s a place to continue a conversation about what you have just experienced. But it’s more than that. It also serves as a scenic power lunch spot for executives in the area. Dining alone, it can serve as a bit of a creative escape, or with others for lunch brainstorming sessions.”

In accommodating so many scenarios, Verde still manages to have an identity. Most of its menu is light and refreshing, not the kind of fare that would make walking through the museum’s galleries feel like a chore. This kind of food fits well within the Herzog & de Meuron-designed building, with its light-filled rooms, hanging gardens, and bay views. Sporting wood-slatted tables, green glassware, and potted succulents as centerpieces, the restaurant itself presents an expansive vista of Biscayne Bay and the ships cruising toward Government Cut, perfect scenery to gaze upon while sipping a passion fruit caipirinha off of Verde’s cocktail menu.

Squash blossom pizza with zucchini, goat cheese, tomato sugo, and roasted garlic olive oil is both approachable and sophisticated.

“Verde means ‘green’ in Spanish,” says Starr. “We wanted to choose a name that reflected the Pérez Art Museum’s design, environment, and, of course, the city of Miami itself with its lush and tropical views.”

Verde’s name also implies that the restaurant will continue to grow, and indeed Sunday brunch service is slated to begin in spring with the possibility of extending it to Saturday as well. For now, Starr says, both restaurant and museum “hope to set the tone for future ‘green’ growth in the downtown Miami area,” a tasty victory for the art world and beyond. 1103 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, 305-375-8282

A Basel-friendly collaboration with The Webster is just one way Francisco Costa is celebrating his first decade as women’s creative director for Calvin Klein Collection.

“I really just wanted to express what I was feeling,” says Francisco Costa, women’s creative director for Calvin Klein Collection.

Francisco Costa had only attended Art Basel once before, but this past year, he says, he felt right at home. “The thing I loved was that it was so democratic,” he says. “It was like going to a park or a promenade, and everywhere you looked, [there was] more art than you would find in a museum. And the families: I was looking at something, and two families walked in, two couples with eight kids, to look at the art. How exciting is that?”

Costa trekked to the December art fair in Miami Beach to debut an exclusive Calvin Klein resort collection at The Webster, a collaboration with the retailer’s CEO, LaureHériardDubreuil—and make no mistake, the creative director for Calvin Klein Collection’s womenswear is a fan. “Laure is unbelievable: so spirited, so beautiful, worldly, and interesting, and the store really reflects that,” Costa says. “You feel like you’re in a different world when you walk through The Webster. Not many retailers buy with passion these days. It’s usually much more corporate in thinking.”

The Webster carries exclusive items from Calvin Klein Collection, inspired by the works of artist Ellsworth Kelly.

The Webster collaboration was inspired by the graphic lines and bold hues of Ellsworth Kelly—though it was HériardDubreuil who insisted, Costa notes, on including Kelly’s signature red among the pieces earmarked for her Collins Avenue boutique. “Her eye really is genius,” he says.

For the Spring 2014 collection that just arrived in stores, Costa looked to combine the graphics of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Pablo Picasso with the sensuous lines of New York-based British painter Cecily Brown, whom he deems a favorite. As he moves into his second decade at Calvin Klein, successful in his quest to drive the brand forward while always respecting its DNA, you sense Costa’s confidence as he pursues these increasingly adventurous avenues: “I really just wanted to express what I was feeling.” 1220 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, 305-674-7899

Carol Jazzar stakes out a corner of the Miami gallery scene far from Wynwood—in every way possible.

Carol Jazzar turned her El Portal home’s two-car garage into an exhibition space for a different kind of art experience.

“I don’t see myself as an art dealer,” Carol Jazzar earnestly insists. “I see myself as a provider.” Come again? After all, Jazzar does own and operate one of the most intriguing art spaces in Miami—Carol Jazzar Contemporary Art—where she regularly exhibits and, yes, sells, artwork from both local notables and out-of-towners.

Still, Jazzar says this distinction is more than mere semantics. “I am in service to both the artists and the viewers,” she says. “To the artists, I provide a sounding board for their ideas and aesthetics. To the viewers, I provide a space that, I hope, takes them out of the ordinary so they can experience something closer to home.” Or, as Jazzar pronounces that last word, “om,” drawling it out in her purring French accent—still thick despite her having moved to South Florida from her native Paris over two decades ago. “Om,” she repeats, alternating it with “home.” The linguistic nod to the Zen concept of inner peace is crucial, she adds.

That this is more than mere affectation becomes apparent with an actual visit to Carol Jazzar Contemporary Art, located behind Jazzar’s own circa-1953 home in El Portal. As if the vintage architecture on her quiet, leafy street weren’t enough of a break from Wynwood’s gritty sidewalks, huge avocado trees shroud a long driveway leading back to the gallery.

Jazzar in her gallery, with Paradise Lost, by New York painter Carlos Fragoso, 2013.

“Necessity is the mother of invention,” Jazzar chuckles. “I knew a number of contemporary artists who were always complaining they didn’t have an opportunity to show their work.” She had already begun making a name for herself as an independent curator earlier this past decade, staging well-received shows in the Design District ranging from a multimedia installation by Museum of Contemporary Art founder Lou Anne Colodny to a centennial celebration of Salvador Dalí. Yet she lacked the funds to rent a permanent warehouse space and hang out her own shingle. What she did possess was a large, high-ceilinged, two-car garage—perfect for transforming into an exhibition space, albeit one far removed from most gallery-hoppers’ itineraries.

Being located off the beaten art track quickly became part of her gallery’s appeal. “The environment where you present art is very important, beyond just the inside of the building,” Jazzar says. “When you come here and park your car in front of the house, already you’re surrounded by big trees. Even if you’re stressed out, being in nature is going to quiet down your mind. When you enter the space, you’re calm. The way you’re going to see the artwork is different than if you’re in a ‘white cube’ gallery, or a museum where your mind is already pre-set.”

The other part of that visual equation is the art itself. Since its debut show in 2007, Jazzar’s gallery has carved out a niche where craftsmanship remains central—don’t expect to see much in the way of minimalist painting or piles of found debris masquerading as “political” statements. Call it a theory-free zone.

Guts and Glory, by Chris Fennell, 2013

Jazzar has also opened up her gallery to several generations of Miami artists that all too rarely interact with one another: Robert Huff first made a local name for himself in the 1970s, though his latest geometrically intricate drawings remain as transfixingly beautiful as ever. Performance artist David Rohn initially set eyebrows fluttering amid the South Beach scene of the early ’90s—no mean feat given that period’s louche atmosphere. His current work is no less provocative, but displays as much of a devotion to the world of theater as to playfully lampooning the art world. Representing the younger Miamians who came of age in the wake of Art Basel is Jen Stark—her sculptures, meticulously constructed out of eye-popping hues of color, are instantly striking. Rounding out Jazzar’s roster are several New Yorkers, including the collagist Chris Fennell. Whereas other Florida galleries add out-of-towners to their exhibition schedules in hopes of goosing sales or prestige via an established art world name, Jazzar simply follows her eye. Fennell was referred to her by a Miami artist, and upon a visit to his Brooklyn studio, she was wowed by his dazzling collage work focused on swirling geometric patterns and starbursts, some recalling the Op Art of the 1960s. That was all it took to offer Fennell a Miami show.

Bucking marketplace trends hasn’t always translated into easy sales—“I started with my enthusiasm, and I’m still operating on my enthusiasm,” she quips—but it has helped make Jazzar’s bimonthly gallery openings must-attend gatherings for art aficionados. Indeed, on the appointed evenings they can be found spilling out of the gallery, across Jazzar’s backyard, and around—as well as occasionally in—her pool. That informality is fully intended, Jazzar says. “I’m not looking to move to Wynwood or to the next art hub. I want to keep growing this place and bringing artists and viewers here for a different kind of experience. Art for me is not just a piece of work someone creates and then someone else puts up on a wall. Art is life. The whole point is to throw art and life together!” Chris Fennell’s“Say Yes” is on exhibition through April 18 at Carol Jazzar Contemporary Art, 158 NW 91st St., Miami

A peek behind the curtain of Ken Gorin’sThe Collection, where dream cars are the norm.

Ken Gorin at The Collection in Coral Gables, one of the leading dealers of luxury autos in the country.

Noon—The Collection

As I pull up to The Collection’s foyer, which looks more like a high-end condo lobby than a car dealership, I’m addressed as “sir” by the valet. A pencil-skirted receptionist immediately offers me cappuccino, and I walk a gauntlet of sports cars that speed through every man’s (and some women’s) dreams—Porsches, Aston Martins, McLarens, Jaguars, and more.

It’s quite a show, and that’s just how owner Ken Gorin wants it. But shows like this don’t just happen; they have to be produced. After a handshake in the lobby, Gorin invites me upstairs, behind the curtain, if you will. As we walk, various staff members offer a chorus of “Hello, Mr. Gorin” and “Good day, Mr. Gorin.”

The upstairs space is massive—a veritable city block—festooned with vintage red Porsche 911s on lifts and Ferraris with their rear-engine hoods up. Gorin leads a huddle of head mechanics and managers in suits whom he’d tasked with shortening the time it takes to pick up a car from service. They toss around ideas. One of the guys suggests that the valet identify the customer by his loaner car as he pulls in, and alert the garage before the customer utters a word. The car would arrive for the customer at the moment he finishes paying. “I love that,” says Gorin, beaming. “If you can imagine—magically your car shows up. That’s the perception you want to create.” He acknowledges that it might be a pain to make happen, but he wants the plan implemented.

Gorin watches as Steve Sawitz ogles the new Audi RS5cabriolet.

1 pm—Marketing Meeting

Gorin sits down with his marketing team as Brand Manager Frank Consuegra runs through new online banner ad animations: Dwyane Wade soars through the frame on his way to a slam dunk, the Audi A3 appears with the slogan “Some moves belong on a highlight reel. So does this offer.” That’s all good, but Gorin wants A3 banners to work on smartphones, since the buyers will be younger, and the A7 photo needs to show the unique rear architecture. Consuegra has also settled on a billboard on US 1; Gorin double-checks the image to make sure Wade looks tall enough.

Details like this pay off. In 1995, when he and a business partner bought The Collection, the dealership did $51 million in sales. 2013 was their best year to date, with $428 million in sales. “I guess you could say it was the epitome of the Miami Vice days,” says Gorin of 1995. At the time, the dealership was “ethically bankrupt,” and he set out to change the culture by studying companies like L.L. Bean and Harley Davidson, even handing out business cards with a code of ethics pushing relationships, not sales. Some of the touchstones for changing the culture came from running a dealership in Connecticut with his father. “He was my best friend and mentor,” says Gorin.

These days, he attends five auto shows a year, and manufacturers such as Audi and Porsche invite him to tour their headquarters so he can look at their concept cars and give his opinion. The Collection is the No. 2 Porsche dealer, the No. 2 Maserati dealer, and the No. 4 Aston Martin dealer in the US, and Gorin is seen as someone who knows the American and South American buyer. He might not like the fit and finish of their prototypes, and manufacturers listen. “This is showing my age a bit,” he says, “but when it became necessary for cars to have a cup holder, there was a lot of pushback [from luxury brands]. They said, ‘Oh, you Americans with your big gulps.’ So you provide feedback.”

Gorin brainstorms with his team of head mechanics and managers.

3 pm—Showroom

Steve Sawitz, owner of Joe’s Stone Crab, walks in, and, à la Cheers, everybody knows his name. It makes sense—Gorin calls the vibe he’s created at The Collection a “relationship selling business model.” People like Sawitz, who are car-obsessed, will simply hang out even if they’re not buying. “These guys are like car shrinks,” says Sawitz. “They know what you already own. They’ve got your back.” Today he’s here to test drive the new MaseratiGhibli, the brand’s first car to come in under $100,000.

But before he can find the Ghibli, Sawitz encounters a stunning red Audi RS5cabriolet. “Wow, wow,” he gasps, circling the convertible, running his hands over it, rapt. “It’s so aggressive. Did you put this here for a reason?” he asks Gorin, as if placing it there would seduce him into buying it. Gorin chuckles. The two have become buddies over the years, and Gorin in turn spends “too much time” at Joe’s Stone Crab.

But back to the Ghibli—we pull out onto the streets of Coral Gables, and Sawitz loves this one, too, taking short bursts of high speed when appropriate, the 410-horsepower engine making a lovely ripping sound—something wild in suburbia. “Yeah, this car’s got attitude,” he says. “God, this thing flies.”

“You’re going to get a lot more road-feel in a car like this,” says Gorin. “It’s a true sports sedan. You’ll sacrifice that smooth carpet ride, but someone who’s looking for a sports sedan doesn’t want a carpet ride.” Sawitz is again smitten. Gorin suggests he solve the dilemma by buying both cars.

Raising a toast at the annual management team celebration dinner. “It’s you guys that make that whole thing,” he says.

7 pm—Cipriani Downtown Miami

The Collection’s management team pile off a bus at Cipriani for their annual celebration dinner, taking their seats at a long white-clothed banquet table, joking now that the day is done. The wait staff serve Bellinis to one and all, and Gorin stands to make a toast. “You’re my family. You stuck with me through the good and the bad. We have the facility, we have the location, we have the brands, but it’s you guys that make that whole thing. And while I might be intense and I might be excitable, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate what you do.” He raises a toast to their health and happiness. Glasses chime. Dinner begins. 200 Bird Road, Coral Gables, 305-444-5555